Saturday, March 15, 2014

No, I have not given up writing in this web journal. Let's just say I've had to take a pause due to an overwhelming abundance of commitments. In addition to my full-time day job, I have a second full-time job as president of GLIFAA, our LGBT+ association for employees of the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and other U.S. foreign affairs agencies. That is where my time and attention are going, day and night, at least through June if not through the end of my term in August.

Serving as president of a major employee LGBT+ organization is both a privilege and a challenge, exhausting but always gratifying. If you would like to know more of our work this year, visit our new web page at www.glifaa.org. There you will find information on our initiatives, our history, and photos from our various events. If you were familiar with our old web site and literature, you will notice that we have a new tag line: GLIFAA -- LGBT+ pride in foreign affairs agencies. This year's board of directors under the leadership of yours truly is doing all it can to become more diverse and inclusive. No longer does GLIFAA represent only gays and lesbians. We have a number of transgender members both in the US and at posts around the world. Our doors are open to all flavors of orientation and identity wherever they may be on the bright LGBT+ rainbow. If you are in the Washington, DC, area, come to one of our monthly meetings, happy hours, or other social events. If you are outside the US, you may find that there is a GLIFAA representative at a U.S. embassy or consulate near you (www.glifaa.org/about/post-representatives/).

GLIFAA Board of Directors at the Annual
"Pink Party" in February 2014

Be assured that I will return to writing in this journal once I have become an ex-president. Where will I be next? Look for me somewhere on the Silk Road as of next September as I return to Central Asia. Until then, follow me at www.glifaa.org!